Alyssa Graham's "Echo" released today!

Vocalist Alyssa Graham's stunning new album, 'Echo,' releases today. From "Pictures of You," a musical travelogue that traces the arc of a modern day love affair, to "Involved Again," a previously unrecorded gem originally written some 50 years ago for jazz legend Billie Holiday, 'Echo' proves Alyssa Graham to be a singer of remarkable talent and range.



Jazz.com gave her rendition of Paul Simon's "America" a 94/100, calling it "a standout performance" and going on to rave that "she projects herself completely into the psychological space of Paul Simon's song, singing with total honesty and directness."



Want to see for yourself what the critics are talking about? Take a look at the video for "Pictures of You":









Or listen to it





Alyssa Graham.com ## MySpace ## CD's ## Hype Machine

ALYSSA GRAHAM UNEARTHS HIDDEN BILLIE HOLIDAY GEM ON 'ECHO'

On 'Echo', vocalist Alyssa Graham proves fearless, putting original works alongside songs by the likes of Paul Simon and Sting. But one of the most notable tracks on the album has to be "Involved Again," a tune that might have become one of Billie Holiday's greatest hits had the jazz legend lived to record it.



When Holiday passed away in 1959, "Involved Again" was slated for release on her next album. Saddened at the loss of the singer and her extraordinary voice, the tune's composer, Jack Reardon (who also wrote "The Good Life"), shelved it and moved on, certain that no one "could do it justice afterward." Nearly 50 years later, though, Reardon heard a voice so sweet, so sensuous, that he knew the song could finally come to life the way he had once envisioned it. That voice belonged to Alyssa Graham.



Despite its age, or perhaps because of it, "Involved Again" seems to float along, completely disconnected from time. Album producer Jon Cowherd's tumultuous piano lines recall the smoke-filled jazz clubs of a bygone era, but there is something distinctly modern about Cowherd's arrangement and the intimacy of Graham's delivery.



The story of a jilted lover who swore she'd never let herself fall in love again, the track has a simple elegance about it, a calm and collected style and grace just barely concealing the bubbling well of passion below. It's the perfect centerpiece for 'Echo,' Graham's stunning new album of love and loss, and a fitting tribute to the late Billie Holiday that Graham should carry on her torch with such splendor.

• Involved Again

Alyssa Graham.com *** MySpace *** CD's

Alyssa Graham

A sensuous blend of jazz rhythms pulses through 'Echo', a collection of songs bound together by the unforgettable resonance of Alyssa Graham's extraordinary voice. Its eleven tracks reveal musical influences from around the globe, all while maintaining the thematic feel of a deeply personal, well-told and eternal love story. With seven original tracks, four classic songs round out the album, including a delicately yearning version of Paul Simon's "America" that speaks to journeys closer to home.
Graham conveys each story with the experience and passion of a world traveler who has visited every continent but Antarctica. Her expeditions provided her with lasting musical inspiration, from Brazil's Rosa Passos to India's Lata Mangeshkar to Benin's Lionel Loueke. Produced by Jon Cowherd (Brian Blade Fellowship, Lizz Wright), the album serves as a musical travelogue that traces the arc of a modern-day love affair, beginning with the disc's first single, "Pictures of You."
'Echo' will be released July 29th.

• Pictures Of You

Alyssa Graham.com *** MySpace *** CD's